Hellcats unveiled for Woodward Dream Cruise

One thing the Woodward Dream Cruise has demonstrated is that Muscle Cars never really go out of fashion.

Chrysler used Woodward Avenue this week to emphasize its continuing commitment to muscle power by unveiling the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, which is powered by a 707-horse-power, 6.2-liter engine and a throaty roar that rattles windows and doors.

“Dodge is tearing it up during its Centennial Year,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge chief executive officer.

The Charger SRT Hellcat will have the performance numbers virtually identical to the Dodge Challenger Hellcat, which has already created a huge buzz on the Internet, he said.

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Dodge is now the most researched brand on the Internet, according to Google Analytics, he noted. “It’s not Honda. It’s not Toyota. It’s not Ford or any other brand. It’s Dodge,” added Kuniskis.

The new Charger and Challengers engines have the most powerful engines available for sale outside the ultra-expensive super car range where vehicles can cost as much as $1 million or more.

Besides the supercharged 6.2-liter engine, the Charger SRT Hellcat also will come with rear-wheel-drive chassis, an eight-speed transmission, 15.4-inch rotors on the 20-inch wheels, redesigned front and rear fascias with LED lighting and an interior that features the features the latest technology for connectivity and entertainment, Chrysler engineers noted during a press conference at the Vinsetta Garage in Royal Oak.

The significant new technology upgrades available on the Challenger and Charge include an all-new Uconnect Access system with standard touchscreen, standard new 7-inch multi-screen information cluster within the instrument cluster, a performance electronic shifter and keyless entry with push-button start.

Muscle cars have been at the heart of Dodge’s identity as a brand for more than half a century and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plans on using muscle cars built using the latest technology and engineering techniques to re-imagine Dodge image.

Dodge is using Challenger Hellcat with its two doors and four-door Chargers as a calling card for an identity and to demonstrate that it is possible to blend modern technology with traditional design cues to create an entirely new line of vehicles with power, distinctive heritage and silhouettes that have helped make the Woodward Dream Cruise popular over the last two decades.

Mark Trostle, the head of SRT, Viper and Mopar design at Chrysler, noted muscle cars already are winning over a new generation of customers, who are basically looking for a distinctive car that doesn’t get lost in a mall parking lot.

Kuniskis said Dodge isn’t just bringing a new Challenger into the muscle-car segment for 2015; it’s also in a position to claim bragging rights by offering the most affordable 700 horsepower car in America. The Hellcat version actually has the horsepower of much more expensive “Exotic” cars with far larger price tags,” Kuniskis noted.

Chrysler hasn’t yet priced the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, which will go on sale during the first quarter of 2015.

“We priced the (Challenger) at $59,995 to put it within reach of the enthusiast community,” said Kuniskis, who indicated the Charger will be priced similarly.

“Muscle cars have endured because they capture the emotion of the open road while at the same time they are very accessible. Not many of us could competently handle a road race, but a lot of us can get a bit of that excitement from simply accelerating hard when the traffic light switches from red to green. Beating the car beside us across the intersection is a small psychic victory, and that is the form of excitement that muscle cars were built to create,” noted Jack Nerad, the editorial director at KBB.com.

“Muscle cars followed in the tradition of hot rods by putting a lot of power into the hands of the average guys, but without requiring the owner to do the work himself. Out of the box they provided the exhilaration of immediate acceleration, something that is as enjoyable now as it was 60 years ago,” he said.

Sales of two-door Challenger have increased since it was re-introduced by Chrysler back in 2009, Kuniskis said.

Kuniskis also said the Dodge and SRT brands now offer the most complete lineup of muscle cars, loaded with even more performance, technology, hardware and value since the base version of the Challenger, without the Hellcat engine, starts at less than $30,000.